New Yorkers, Urge Governor Cuomo to Sign the Pet Dealer Bill!

In New York State, local governments are not permitted to regulate commercial dog breeders and pet stores—only the state Department of Agriculture and Markets can do that under New York’s “pet dealer” law. This is highly unusual: We don’t know of any other state that expressly forbids its towns from having higher animal-care standards or holding pet stores more accountable for their practices.

Unfortunately, a decade’s worth of evidence overwhelmingly shows that New York State cannot adequately monitor pet dealers—especially breeders doing “business” in their homes and over the Internet. State officials struggle even to locate commercial breeding premises, much less inspect them!

Fortunately, a bill (A.740-A/S.3573-A) passed by the Legislature in June will allow commercial pet breeders and pet stores to come back under local oversight! This bill is a win for New York’s animals and for you; it’s your tax dollars that foot the bill for the investigations, animal cruelty seizures, sheltering costs and legal proceedings that are often the fallout from allowing New York’s pet industry to go practically unregulated.

Take Action!If you live in New York, please take a moment to call Governor Cuomo at (518) 474-8390 and urge him to allow local governments to protect themselves against unscrupulous dog sellers and breeders by signing A.740-A/S.3573-A into state law. New Yorkers should also email the governor from our Advocacy Alert.

The pet industry is hard at work urging him to veto the bill, so your voice must be heard now! Thank you, New York!